Stand for iron



- Feb. 13, 1969 N. B. BEJQANDT 3,428,280

- STAND FOR IRON Filed Oct. 22. 1965 FIG. 2

INVENTOR. NELLI E B. BRANDT United States Patent 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A nestable stand for maintaining a steam iron in vertical draining position comprises a closed, generally planar, triangular support member of rod-like material for receiving a steam iron and supported above a base member which is also of rod-like material. The base member encloses a larger area than that enclosed by the triangular support member to provide a stable platform for the support member and is joined to the support member by struts extending inwardly and upwardly from the base member. The support member is adapted to maintain the steam iron in a generally vertical draining position with a portion of the steam iron extending through it.

My invention relates to a stand for irons and more particularly to a stand for steam irons which maintains these irons in a draining position.

It is well known that steam irons must be thoroughly drained after each use in order to prevent the build-up of scale caused by minerals and other impurities in ordinary water. This scale, if left to accumulate, will untimately corrode the interior and clog the steam vents located on the base plate of the iron, thus reducing the amount of steam available from the iron and ultimately destroying its usefulness. In order to avoid the tedious shaking and draining of the iron which was customarily required after each use, various stands have been devised which will support the iron in an inverted position whereby the water can be drained from the iron without any further attention on the part of the user. These stands, while accomplishing the required draining function, were often unstable in nature and could readily be tipped over accidentally, thus releasing the iron unintentionally. The potential dangers of such a stand to persons as well as clothing and furniture will be apparent. Accordingly, it is an object of my invention to provide a stand for irons which is stable and safe when an iron is placed within the support.

In addition to being safe and simple to use, stands for irons should be relatively inexpensive in view of the simple task they are called upon to perform. This limitation requires not only that the stands themselves be simple and inexpensive to manufacture, but also that the shipping costs per unit be relatively low. Accordingly, another object of my invention is to provide an improved stand for steam irons which is capable of being shipped in large numbers while occupying relatively small volume.

Other and further objects and features of my invention will become more readily apparent in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof which has been selected for purposes of illustration and which is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a pictorial representation of one embodiment of my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of my invention showing how a steam iron may be supported therein; and

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of my invention.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a stand for maintaining a steam iron in a draining position. The stand comprises a base member, preferably circularly shaped, to which a triangular shaped support member is attached by means of rods running between the base member and ice the support member. The plane of the support member is inclined at an angle with respect to the plane of the base member to provide the proper support and tilt for draining the iron.

Referring now to the drawings, the stand 10 comprises a base member 12 which is preferably circularly shaped. A support member 14 which is triangularly shaped is attached to the base member 12 by means of struts 16 running between the support member and the base member. The support member 14 is inclined at an angle to the plane of the base member 12; the vertex 18 of the support member is thus closer to the base than is side 20 which is opposite the vertex 18. This configuration allows the steam iron to be placed with the forward end of its handle resting on the vertex 18 and its sole plate resting on the member 20 whereby the iron is tilted for proper drainage. This will be more readily apparent in connection with the description of FIGURE 2. The length of the member 20 need only be slightly smaller than the maximum transverse dimension of the sole plate of the iron; this will ensure that the iron is firmly gripped in the support member 14.

The stand 10 is preferably formed from metallic rods or heavy wires to provide a firm yet inexpensive support for the iron. If desired, the base member 12 may be coated with a heat-resistant plastic on the lower side thereof to prevent excessive heat conduction between the stand and the surface on which it rests.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, there is shown a side elevational view of my invention having a typical steam iron inserted in phantom in the support member 14. The iron comprises body 20, handle 22, sole plate 24, and fluid orifice 26. The sole plate 24 of the iron rests firmly against the arm 20 (not shown) on the support member, while the forward end of the handle 22 rests against the vertex 18, thus positioning the iron for proper drainage. It will be noted that the center of gravity 28 of the iron is located very close to the center of the base 12, thus insuring that the stand 10 will be extremely stable when an iron is positioned therein. This is in contrast to the other stands for steam irons in which the center of gravity of the iron, when fixed in the stand, is very close to the edge of the stand, thus contributing to potential instability if the stand is slightly jarred or rocked.

FIGURE 3 shows a plan view of the iron support of FIGURE 2. It will be seen from this figure that the supporting struts 16 are evenly distributed around the perimeter of the base 12. In addition to providing firm support for the iron, my invention as shown allows a large number of the stands 10 to be nested, each with the other, to provide minimum volume when the stands are shipped from their point of manufacture. This important factor contributes greatly to the overall economy of my invention.

Although I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention with a circular base member, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the shape of this member need not be so restricted. In particular, a triangular base member could be used in conjunction with the triangular support member, these two members being interconnected by support rods runnning between their vertices; additional support rods may be, of course, added if desired.

From the above it will be seen that I have provided a simple and economical support for steam irons. Further, it will be seen that I have provided a support for steam irons which is safe and easy to use and which readily adapts itself to economies in manufacturing and shipping.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent in the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A support for maintaining a steam iron in draining position, said iron being of the type having a body, a sole plate and handle attached to said body, and an orifice for receiving and discharging fluids mounted forwardly on said iron, said support comprising, in combination, a base member definning a first enclosed area, a plurality of interconnecting arms forming a generally triangular support member defining a second enclosed area of smaller magnitude than said first enclosed area for receiving said iron therein with a portion of the iron extending through the second enclosed area, said support member being supported above said base by a plurality of struts interconnecting said base and said support member and having one of its vertices inclined downwardly toward the base whereby the forward end of the iron handle may be rested against said downwardly inclined vertex to allow said iron to drain and the sole plate of said iron may be rested against the arm of said support member opposite said vertex to maintain said iron in draining position.

2. A nestable stand for maintaining a steam iron in generally planar closed support member of smaller dimensions than said base member and adapted to receive a portion of a steam iron extending through the plane defined by said support member to maintain said iron in a generally vertical draining position; and rod members extending inwardly and upwardly from said base member to said support member for positioning said support member above said base member, said stand being nestable with similar stands by means of said generally open base member.

3. A stand according to claim 2 wherein said support member is formed from a rod-like material and has a generally triangular shape, one arm of the triangle forming a rest for the base of a steam iron having a forward portion extending through the area defined by said triangular support.

4. A stand according to claim 3 in which the plane of said support member is positioned at an angle to the plane of said base member, said support member being formed of rod-like material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,099,357 7/1963 Harris 211-133 2,930,430 3/1960 Bloom 297-457 X 967,368 8/1910 Grigsby 248-153 X 1,485,852 3/1924 Jarvis 248-153 X 2,925,235 2/1960 Iaros 248-153 3,054,588 9/1962 Ondrasik 248-1172 CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 248- 

